The Conoco Humber Refinery was completed and came on stream in 1969 with crude oil processing capacity of 4 million tonnes per annum which was later to increase to 9.0 million tonnes in two stages. Process units include atmospheric and vacuum distillation units, a thermal cracking unit, 2 delayed coking units, a virgin distillate hydrodesulphuriser, a cracked distillate hydrodesulphuriser, a heavy gas oil desulphuriser, two catalytic reforming units, a pentane/hexane isomerisation plant, an aromatics extraction plant, a toluene hydrodealkylation unit, a gas recovery plant, 2 sulphur recovery units, a fluid catalytic cracker, a propylene/butylene catalytic polymerisation unit, a pressure swing absorber for hydrogen recovery and a cryogenic LPG recovery plant; propylene recovery and an HF Alklation unit.

The refinery produces its own electricity and steam from the utility plant.

It produces some 20 products including fuel gas, propane, butane, benzene, gasoline, kerosine, diesel fuels, heating oils, sulphur and several types of electrograde cokes. These products are shipped out by road, rail, sea and pipeline.

The crude oil now comes predominantly from the North Sea in shipments of up to 100 000 tonnes. Ships discharge at a single point monobuoy to storage tanks at Tetney. This facility handles the bulk of crude oil imports. The crude is then pumped from Tetney to the refinery at Killingholme through a 14-mile pipeline.

The refinery is the first in Europe to be fully owned by Conoco, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of E I du Pont de Nemours and Company (Inc).

[Map of UK Refineries]

© Institute of Petroleum